Malta - Labor

The workforce in 2002 was estimated at 160,000. In 2001 services
accounted for 71% of employment, while 24% were engaged in industry and
the remaining 5% in agriculture. The unemployment rate in 2002 was
estimated at 7%.

Labor is highly organized in Malta, and about 63% of Malta's
workers were unionized in 2002. As of that year there were 38 registered
trade unions. The largest union, the General Worker's Union,
although independent, is informally associated with the Labor Party. The
General Workers' Union was integrated with the Socialist Labor
Party until 1992, when this affiliation was formally ended. Although
certain compulsory arbitration and mediation provisions limit the right
to strike, workers still enjoy a broad right to strike including
anti-discrimination provisions to protect striking workers'
employment. Comprehensive collective bargaining is practiced.

The legal minimum working age is 16, and this is effectively enforced by
the government. The standard workweek is 40 hours but workers in some
trades can work up to 45 hours per week. Occupational safety and health
standards are set by law but enforcement is uneven and accidents remain
frequent. In 2002, the weekly minimum wage was $112 for adults.

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